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Shaft Family History

Shaft Name Meaning

Americanized form of German Schaft .

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: Haft, Halt, Kraft, Saft, Shutt, Sanft, Ehart, Thaut, Shad, Haff

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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Where is the Shaft family from?

You can see how Shaft families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Shaft family name was found in the USA, the UK, and Canada between 1840 and 1920. The most Shaft families were found in USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 2 Shaft families living in Quebec. This was about 67% of all the recorded Shaft's in Canada. Quebec had the highest population of Shaft families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Shaft surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Shaft ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Laborer and Stenographer were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Shaft. 19% of Shaft men worked as a Laborer and 25% of Shaft women worked as a Stenographer. Some less common occupations for Americans named Shaft were Clerk and Maid. .

View Census Data for Shaft | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

United States shown, Canada data unavailable

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Laborer
    19%
  • Farmer
    19%
  • Salesman
    16%
  • Clerk
    8%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Stenographer
    25%
  • Housewife
    19%
  • Clerk
    19%
  • Maid
    13%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Shaft family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 4,000 census records available for the last name Shaft. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Shaft census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Shaft

Passenger Lists

There are 289 immigration records available for the last name Shaft. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Shaft immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 3,000 military records available for the last name Shaft. For the veterans among your Shaft ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Shaft military records

You've only scratched the surface of Shaft family history

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What is the average Shaft lifespan?

Between 1960 and 2004, in the United States, Shaft life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1963, and highest in 2004. The average life expectancy for Shaft in 1960 was 55, and 83 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Shaft

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Shaft family tree

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